Darkened Dreams
by Viridian Dreams
Summary: Rainclan is celebrating with it's three new additions, but the joy cannot last for long as threats from both Pebbleclan and Duskclan arise. But the living are not the only enemies they must worry about. - I take no claim to the cover image.
1. Prologue

As the calls of the new deputy's name died down, and the silver tom stepped away from his leader, cats began to return to their duties. A few older and ragged toms were quibling to each other at the mouth of a den, being a slight dip in the earth covered by the large roots of an old mangled tree.

"Only chose him because of their affections, I bet yah'." A ginger and white splashed tom said gruffly to the others, his fur scuffed and torn as if he had been running through a patch of brambles. "Hazelstar never would have done that."

"Hush, Swiftfang. Feathershade is a talented and clever cat. Cloverstar chose very well in him." A dark tabby scolded as he made his way to the elders, his voice muffled with the smelly clump of moss he carried. "It's a shame that Auburnfur passed but once that pesky fox is run out, he will be avenged."

Swiftfang grumbled quietly to himself but soon rested his head on his paws, closing his amber eyes as the cat began to shift through his fur.

"Where is Lightpaw, Aspentail?" A small white she-cat questioned, ginger tipped ears pricked. "Shouldn't she be tending to these sorts of duties?"

"She's out gathering herbs at the moment. I would ask the other apprentices, but their mentors were planning to do a joint training session. With all the border skirmishes lately, I would rather our younglings have all the practice they can get." He replied, continuing to work steadily at the elder's fur, dabbing foul-smelling moss at his fur and pulling out fleas.

"Only four apprentices," a thin black tom murmured. "This is the lowest Rainclan has ever been in my days."

Aspentail sighed, "Yes, but there are more kits on the way. Hopefully this leaf-bare won't come with a bout of whitecough or greencough."

Swiftfang scoffed, though his eyes remained close. "No doubt our leader will be with kits soon herself."

The medicine cat shot him a scalding glance. "If then, good. Both Cloverstar and Feathershade are great cats, they will have nice kits in turn."

"It's a shame you're no longer a warrior Buzzardtail. You probably would have been the next deputy," the white she-cat commented, picking at blades of grass caught between her claws.

The tom scoffed in turn, though there was a glint in his near-black eyes. "My bones ache too much for that anymore. The clan needs young and clever warriors, not ones addled by age."

Aspentail elicited a soft _mrrw_ in amusement. "Do you miss that sort of life, Antlegs?"

The she-cat chuckled, "Perhaps now and then. But seeing all these fights going about, I'm starting to long for it less and less. Aren't you yourself getting older?"

He nodded slightly, before shrugging. "The days are catching up with me, yes. But I have no doubt once I pass on to Starclan, Lightpaw will be able to handle herself. She is wise for one of her age, I only fear that she is too disconnected to her emotions and that will leave her impassive to other's pains. Being a medicine doesn't only mean tending to visible wounds." That brought a frown to his muzzle.

"She is much like her father." Buzzardtail commented.

"Auburnfur would be proud of her. Is, I'm sure of that." Aspentail purred softly before stepping away from Swiftfang, "Come to me if you still itch." As the elder grunted in reply, the tabby picked up the moss and began to head towards a small crevice in a wall of rock at one end of the camp, another fissure in the stone close by where the leader slept. As the tom made his way towards his den, a dark shape caught his eye, making him pause. _Was that someone by the rocks..?_

He turned his head towards the small hillock where clan meetings were held. The shape revealed to just be the leader and her new deputy close together, heads lowered and murmuring, their conversation was intelligible from the distance between them and with the chatter of clan mates.

Shrugging it off, Aspentail continued into the medicine den, but was unable to shrug off a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

-z-

Several moons later, Cloverstar was kitting, deep in the night, Silverpelt glittering above the camp against an ebony canvas. Aspentail prepared borage and ragwort leaves before heading out. Despite sitting through multiple births before, he was somehow nervous tonight. It was the first time he'd have to assist in bringing new life into the world with Starclan above his head. But that should make him more confident than, not as jumpy as a rabbit being stalked, right?

As he headed towards the leader's den, she refused to move to the Nursery, he passed the anxious father, as well as half the clan stalking around the mouth of the cleft, only able to offer Feathershade a comforting flick on the shoulder with his tail. The silver-furred tom watched the tabby disappear into the dimmed crevice, his platinum grey eyes reflecting even more anxiety than Aspentail felt.

The tawny she-cat was nestled in a depression in the stone, softened by moss and feathers, as well as fur that had fallen off there. Her breathing was heavy, prominent by her bulging stomach shifting up and down. The medicine cat had already predicted her to be having two or three kits, but with how large her belly had grown, it had been like more had appeared.

Pushing the herbs brought with him towards the she-cat, Aspentail ordered her to eat them, before setting a gentle paw on her side. He could feel the small lives inside, moving around, preparing to slide out into the Clan; this knowledge made a soft purr escape him, only to be forced down by a sense of dread crawling up his spine.

_Starclan, are you causing these feelings? Are you trying to warn me of something?_"

Though he hadn't expected an answer, or at the very least a straight one, before he think up anymore questions, Cloverstar cried out in pain, bringing the tabby to attention. He hunched over her, it was much too late to offer a stick to bite down on. He could already see the head of the first kit poking out from her backside. As the small, dark bundle slithered out onto the moss, the tom jumped up readily, licking and chewing at the sac until it broke and the first breathe was taken.

Soon after, two more kits were born, both white in fur colour. The three younglings were mostly quiet, save for the third little one that had made it out, and all gathered around their mother to begin suckling. Aspentail breathed out a sigh of relief; they appeared healthy and although Cloverstar now laid her head down to rest, she would more than likely be well enough to lead her Clan another day. Still he could not shake off the sense that something was terribly wrong.

Before he could even turn to allow entrance, Feathershade was pushing himself inside the wide spaced den. He watched as the deputy let out a soft purr, gazing down at his mate and newborns.

"What do you plan on naming them?" Aspentail questioned.

"I would much rather Cloverstar be awake for that. They are her kits as much as mine." The tom nodded, still as serious as ever, while being undeniably joyful.

"I am awake." The leader breathed out, prying her eyes open to focus them on the youths. "I already know…" She laid her tail on the black kit, "Nightkit," The larger white one, "Snowkit," Then turned her head up towards Feathershade. "You can decide what the last is named."

A thoughtful glance crossed his expression, before dropped down into a crouch, rasping a tongue over Cloverstar's cheek, "Cloudkit." A knowing glance crossed between the two, before they both purred in unison.

Aspentail stepped from them, tail flicking over his paws as he sat. There was no doubt now, the kits would be wonderful additions to Rainclan. Unless Starclan was set on making him entirely negative, which he simply could not be.

Only when he had convinced himself of such thoughts, did he notice a shadow within the den, one that did not belong to any of the cats. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed longer at this dark being, a stab of fear crossing his heart. It could not be, it was purely impossible, but this must be exactly what the subtle warnings were about… However much he blinked, the silhouette would not disappear.

"Aspentail, are you alright?" Feathershade spoke softly, for his mate has returned to resting.

He turned his gaze back to the grey tom, trying to regain his posture and ultimately failing. A grimace set on his lips, he tried to ignore the ominous shade in the den, glancing at each of the small kits. "Everything is fine. Absolutely fine,"

* * *

_At last, I create a Warriors fan fiction that people can actually view uwu_

_So happeh, ye,_

_Not much else to say here but, have a lovely rest of the day,_


	2. 1, Awoken

Darkness coveted the small kit like a thick blanket, more comforting than stifling. She could feel warm bodies surrounding her, perhaps two, as well as muffled voices only a short distance away. Where those her parents? She was unable to catch the scent of the cats as well as not ready to open her eyes to look around.

It wasn't long though, before the voices came closer.

"Look, Cloudkit has her eyes open." A purring, feminine voice was audible; accompanied by a more masculine being.

"The others must not be too far behind."

Where those her parents? And who was Cloudkit?

Frustrated with her lack of senses and knowledge, the little kit let out an indignant squeal, squirming around in the nest towards the two larger cats, pausing when she felt something cold and solid underneath her paws.

There was a chuckle from the male voice, "I see Nightkit is going to be a fighter." A tail brushed by her side pulling her closer to its owner.

Was that her name? Nightkit sounded, neat.

A tongue rasped across her head, grooming her soft kit fuzz. She mewed quietly but otherwise made no further complaints.

"How much longer do you think until Nightkit and Snowkit have their eyes open, Cloverstar?" The male voice questioned.

The female that she assumed was Cloverstar – and maybe her mother! – was quiet for a thoughtful moment or two before answering. "Perhaps soon; only when they're ready."

_Yes… When I'm ready._

~z~

Her surroundings were blurred and mixed, bright and dark colours mixed together. Nightkit blinked several times until the shapes became mostly solid. Two moons had passed since she became more aware of her surroundings by hearing, during that time it had been reported that both Snowkit and Cloudkit had their eyes open, which made her a bit envious that her siblings were progressing faster than she was. But now, she could see!

Turning her head, Nightkit examined her surroundings. It was very dark, not even morning yet, but the den was so big, staggeringly so. Pushing herself to her feet, stumbling a tad, the little kit scrambled away from her nest, where her mother and sisters slept. Both had pelts as white as her little claws, while she had fur as dark as the outside.

Her mother was a soft tawny, touched by darker tints. She looked so pretty, but also wondered what her father looked like. Maybe he had fur as dark as Nightkit's!  
Eager to find this mysterious figure, she clawed her way out of the stone den, her breath catching in her throat as she gazed upon her home.

The den that she resided in was at a slightly higher elevation than the rest of the land, giving her a good view. She could see a another crevice in the wall of stone to the left, close by the one that she had just exited, while a cluster of boulders formed a small hillock to the right. Farther out there was a large tree at one edge of the clearing, its large roots forming a den. In a row, there were two bushes, rocks carefully placed between them to make well crafted sites for sleeping. A pile of fresh-kill was neatly placed upon a slab of stone to the other side of the large tree. The only space left in the sides of the nearly circular clearing was occupied by the entrance, seemingly obscured from the other side by a large, frilly ferns.

Nightkit almost stepped back a bit, alarmed by how, _big_ everything was. Her vision was still tinged by blurriness, and the darkness only seemed to make the area appear all the more enormous. But, pulling herself back up into a stiff but proud position, even puffing out her chest a bit, she sauntered further out from the safety of the den. It seemed so much smaller compared to the outside!

A shape near the tree-den shifted, making her focus on it. Was there a cat about..? Curiously, she crouched, edging closer to the faint but visible silhouette.  
Just as she was about to jump up in attempt to startle the stranger, the cat stepped closer, his fur so dark he seemed formed from the shadows themselves. She gasped, scrambling backwards, falling on her bum. His eyes… She shivered.

"Pesky kit," the tom's voice was deep and intimidating – everything about him could be described as intimidating, especially his claws, unsheathed and gleaming the light of the stars and half moon. "Barely a half moon old and wandering about, meddling in things where she shouldn't belong."

Before she could manage out any sort of apology, the tom broke out in a fit of coughing, in a few meager seconds going from big and frightening to thin and frail. Nightkit straightened herself back up, pinning her small ears flat against her head in worry. What if she had caused this?

As the tom's cough increased in volume, a white she-cat's head poked out from the den, ears pricked in alarm. "Buzzardtail?! Are you alright?!" She didn't seem to take notice of Nightkit, even running right past her, towards the left crevice at the rocks. Soon she returned, with a grey tabby at her tail. This new cat smelled strange, not quite like the other cats but not in a particularly bad way.

Fortunately, this cat actually seemed to notice her, and had a friendly gleam in his eyes. But he shifted his focus from the kit to the coughing older tom, allowing him to lean on his shoulder as all three cats disappeared into the tree-den. She flicked her tail from side to side, wondering if she should follow but, what if there were more scary and grumpy-looking toms like the black one, Buzzardtail?

A thought hit her, he was the only other cat that shared her pure black fur. She doubted he was her father, but what if... somehow he was related to her! That made her cringe, she didn't want to grow up and be some grouchy old cat!

Suddenly something brushed by her side, making her jump straight in the air, soft kit fur fluffed up and making her appear larger, albeit even then her size wasn't so impressive. A soft _mrrw_ of amusement met her ears, making her flush with embarrassment. It was just another she-cat, her fur a soft ginger and her eyes large, coloured deep amber. She was a little over twice as large as Nightkit, suggesting that she was younger than the other cats.

"You must be one of Cloverstar's kits, Nightpaw, yes? My name is Lightpaw. I'm Aspentail's apprentice." She purred, a sense of pride in her voice.

Nightkit shrugged slightly, before nodding. "Uh, who is Aspentail?" Her voice was shaky with how little she used it. Which was predictable, considering her young age.

"The medicine cat. That grey tom that just went inside the elder's den with Buzzardtail and Antlegs." She flicked her wispy tail towards the tree-den - evidentially the elder's den was what it was really considered.

"Is he gonna be alright..?" She asked, her voice just above a murmur.

"Hm? Oh, Buzzardtail will be fine. He's just a bit aged and is weaker than you or I. It won't be long before he leaves to Starclan." Lightpaw looked up towards the dark sky, where small, glittering pinpoints glowed against the murky darkness and spread light upon the land below.

"Starclan?" Nightkit cocked her head to one side questioningly.

"Our warrior ancestors. Every cat goes on to Starclan, as long as they follow the Warrior Code and are loyal to their Clan. There are three that we know of, Rainclan, ours, Pebbleclan, and Duskclan. But there are legends, of four Clans from a far away land, that traveled across mountains and plains to find a new home after their old one was destroyed." Lightpaw's eyes gleamed, though Nightkit just blinked.

Her curiosity was buzzing, yes, though not of these legends but about the regular clan life, here at home. If these four clans were so far away then no one would really know about them, right?

Aspentail exited the elder's den, alone, and smiled at the two of them. "I see our newest addition is already out and about. I hope that didn't frighten you little one, Buzzardtail's coughs don't come by often."

"I'm not scared!" Nightkit huffed indignantly, at least, not of the older cat's coughing. That caused a chuckle out of both of the older cats.

"Well, scared or no, it would be best to return to your mother, before she wakes up and stirs up the whole camp to look for a lost kit that isn't really lost." His tail swept across the ground, pushing her towards the wall of rock and causing her to squeak in protest.

"I'm not ready to go back! I want to look around more." She dug her claws into the dirt, standing her ground.

Lightpaw purred softly. "Cloverstar won't wake until dawn, and that's quite a ways off. Maybe we can show her around the medicine cat's den until she gets tired again."

Aspentail sighed, but complied, seeing the kit wouldn't budge otherwise. "Very well then. A short tour then right back to your nest."

Nightpaw squealed in delight as the tabby tom sauntered off to the left crevice, which she could safely assume was the medicine cat's den. She scrambled after him, followed by a very amused Lightpaw.

Inside, it was much wider than the outside portrayed, but not as large as her own den. The sides were broken by small ledges and indentions in the stone. Upon each break in the stone were assortments of leaves and berries, the scents pleasant and not, assailing her nose. To the farthest side of the den was two nests, she assumed were Aspentail's and Lightpaw's. In a small orifice at her feet was a pool of clear water, moss stored away close by it.

"Right now, there isn't much sickness, but leaf-fall will be soon upon us. Whenever there is a sick cat or someone terribly injured they can rest here, and we make them a den for them to lay on." He gestured with a tail to empty spots along the wall to her right, old moss scattered about where old nests had once been. "We use herbs to fight back diseases and keep away infections," a gesture to the left wall where all the different plants were laid.

"What are all of them called?" Nightkit asked.

Lightpaw laughed. "There is much too many herbs to learn of in one morning. But there are common ones that are useful for any warrior to know." She pulled out a small portion of the named stock, "Marigold, for wounds and infections," a small yellow flower, "Catmint, for greencough" a sweet smelling cluster of leaf stalks, of which there were very few of, "Poppy seeds, for easing pain and sleep," small black seeds kept on a large leaf, "Tansy, for coughs and poisons," a yellow flower with round leaves and a sweet smell, "And yarrow, to get a cat to throw up anything bad it may have eaten." a cluster of smaller white flowers.

Nightkit shriveled her nose at the yarrow. "Why would anyone want to take those?"

"Well, if a cat has eaten something poisonous or rotten fresh-kill, it would be better to get rid of that from one's stomach."

"Oh."

After learning of a few more herbs and their uses, as well as how they must be administered, Nightkit was unable to keep herself from yawning, or her eyes from drooping close. Finally, Aspentail paused her little lessons. "I think now's the time for you to return back to your nest and get some more rest."

She could barely protest for more time as the tom ushered her out, after murmuring a few words to his apprentice and squeezing a few chuckles from the she-cat. The little black kit crawled back to her den, noticing that the sky was turning a lighter shade of blue, violet and golden edging the eastern portion. She had to pause in her trek and admire the glow before disappearing into the den and nestling back into the mossy pit with her mother and siblings.

Soft purrs escaped her as she reflected on her time outside. She had made herself friends in Lightpaw and Aspentail. She hoped that she could spend more time with them during the day.

* * *

_Hasn't gained as much popularity but then again, this is only the beginning ~u~_

_Nevertheless, I hope anyone who reads, enjoys, and has a delightful rest of the day._


	3. 2, Friendship?

Snowkit watched as leaves fell from the trees above, dyed orange, brown and red, illuminated from the bright rays of sunlight that rained down upon the camp from the clear day sky, managing to worm their ways past the canopy, so that she could see each little vein lining through the fronds. Beside her, Cloudkit was dabbing at those that were the nearest. Nightkit, for some reason, was still asleep and didn't seem as if she would wake anytime soon, especially after she had nommed on the black she-kit's ear for a short while.

Still, she could not wait to go outside, and see the rest of the camp, as this was officially their first time. Other occasions, they simply got to sit right at the entrance of their den, unable to make a step farther. Their mother couldn't watch over them though, she was taking care of the rest of the camp. Feathershade on the other hand, would stop by and toss a few leaves at them or allow the two to paw at his tail as he waved it over their heads, even though he was still busy.

She could see other kits, playing at the other end of the camp, but they didn't seem to notice her, or if they did, they just weren't interested in playing with her or her sibling. Huffing softly, the kit pushed herself to her feet, causing Cloudkit to stir, and started off to the small space where the kits played at. Her footsteps slowed as she came closer and closer, seeing the kits were larger than them but not as much as the adult cats.

Finally, one of the kits started to bound towards the two, followed closely by his siblings. He seemed to be the largest of the three, a curly-furred, grey kit with darker swirls laced into his fur. The she-kit had light, cream-coloured fur while the other tom had thick, fluffy dark grey fur, making him look younger than the other two.

"It's the leader's kits," The she-kit squeaked, dark amber eyes sparkling with curiosity. Her larger brother just shriveled his nose. "I bet they already think they're better than everyone else just because of who their parents are."

Snowkit furrowed her brow, _why would he say that?_ Puffing out her chest indignantly, she tried to speak as clearly as she could. "I don't think I'm better than anyone."

The larger kit snorted, but before he could say anything, his brother huffed. "Leave em' alone Woolykit, they're new cats to play with. No new kits are around, and it will be two more moons until we're apprentices."

Woolykit grumbled under his breath, but remained silent as the ginger she-kit bounced forward, tilting her head to examine the younglings. "So what're your names? I wanted to go see the three of ya' but momma wouldn't let me. Is it different, in the leader's den."

She shrugged, trying not to fall backwards from tipping her head up to look at the other, "I'm Snowkit and this is Cloudkit. It's just another den I guess, kind of uncomfortable with all the rocks. Sometimes a pebble will end up in my nest and makes my back hurt."

"You sleep on your back?"

"Sometimes."

She could see the kit fighting back chuckles, before perking up again. "My name's Weaselkit. You've already met Woolykit," a subtle roll of the eyes, "and this is Whiskerkit." She flicked her thin tail towards her fluffier brother.

"All three of you are gonna become apprentices soon?" Snowkit pricked her little ears, eyes widening. Already the thought of being an apprentice, training to become a warrior of her clan made her fur fluff up in excitement. She could hardly wait, too bad she was very young.

"Not all that soon." Weaselkit huffed in disappointment, before resuming her perky demeanor."Just two moons. You and your sister will be in about six moons."

"Even Nightkit?" Cloudkit asked before shrinking back beside Snowkit.

"Nightkit?" The larger she-kit tipped her head quizzically.

"Our other sister. She's still asleep in our den." Snowkit answered, she couldn't help but have a mocking tone in her voice for her lazy sibling.

Weaselkit nodded, a sudden glint in her eyes appearing. "Hey, you wanna look around camp a bit? I can show you around."

Both of the little white kits perked up with excitement. "You'd really show us around? Can we even look in all the dens and stuff?" Snowkit questioned, a bit skeptical. Her answer was a nod and a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, come on." The older kit flicked her tail invitingly, padding off towards the other, larger dens from the one behind her. That one had a sweet, milky scent emanating from the inside. She suspected it was where the other kits and their mother slept. Since it didn't seem either Woolykit or Whiskerkit would follow, Snowkit scampered off after their sister before she went off too far, Cloudkit in tow.

Close by, just a few paw steps away in fact, was a similar, bush-topped den that had a stronger scent of cats from the inside. She was hesitant to enter but Weaselkit bounded right in, prompting her to display the same confidence. She was aware of the lack of steps behind her, signaling that her sibling had held back. But her revelations made her not pay attention to where she was going, slamming right into a large mound of fur that belonged to a slumbering cat. Or, he was a slumbering cat.

As she returned back to focus, taking note that Weaselkit had disappeared, the fur-bundle she ran into shifted, rising into a massive, dark grey tom. He turned sharp amber eyes down towards her, brightened from the dim lighting of the den and his dark fur colour, giving them a false glow. His muzzle and chin was white, somewhat ruining his dark and other-worldly appearance and somehow keeping her from being frightened. The shape of the particular markings even made him look a little funny, but she held herself from chuckling.

"Kits," came the hissing, gravelly voice. "Just don't know where you should and shouldn't go, hmph. Romping around, and disturbing the peace of the Clan."

She straightened herself out, to the point where if she tried to hold her head up any farther, she would fall back on her rump. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if anyone was inside and it was hard to see your nice dark fur." She was proud of herself for how calm and level she sounded, which she was of course.

The tom sniffed, seemingly surprised. "Alright, well, don't do that again. Next time, I won't let you off so easily." Waiting for the kit to scamper outside, he exited the den, sparing a glance towards Weaselkit and Cloudkit, the other white kit staring with wide, light blue eyes, small rounds pools that were close mimics of the skies above. Snowkit made her way to the two, giving the cream she-kit a withering glare, "You left me in there!"

She suppressed a small chuckle. "Emberfang is my dad. He's pretty big and scary, isn't he?"

She shrugged, still irked over being abandoned. Had she meant for her to get in trouble? "Not really, not when you look at that little bit of white."

That wormed out a real laugh out of her, "I guess so, haha! We shouldn't really laugh at him though, he's done a lot for the clan I hear. His father is Swiftfang!"

Snowkit cocked her head to one side quizzically. She'd seen the cranky old tom lumbering around before, and had the pleasure of managing to avoid him. "What's so great about that?"

"Swiftfang is like, a complete legend and stuff. He's supposed to be related to a cat of the Great Four Clans. That would make me related too!"

Now it was her turn to have her eyes stretched wide. "The Great Four Clans?"

Weaselkit nodded eagerly, well past getting herself chewed out for abandonment. "Each of the older Clans represented a powerful element. They were strong and determined cats, who trekked over mountains and vast plains to find a new home after their old one was destroyed, facing hardships that were unimaginable. I love hearing momma tell stories about -"

Much to her disappointment, the tale was interrupted by screeching from the outside of the camp, making Snowkit's fur stand on end. She whipped around just as a black and white tom, followed by a grey she-cat and a tawny tom, carrying a smaller grey tom between them.

"Attack! Rogues have attacked!"

* * *

_gaspu, cliff hanger!_

_Aha, but no, I think this was more a filler chapter than anything, I dunno. _

_Also this chapter's kinda small.. ech,_

_I'm hoping the story will go on for some time, at least one update every week. Which I have already floofed at, aha, my apologies though. I was having a few doubts over whether I should keep it going or not, but with some motivational words from friends and reviews, I've decided to keep at it. ouo Some emotional troubles on the side didn't help but ah well, we all have our difficulties. _

_XxSilverslashxX - Thank you so much, I'm so flattered, blushu, uwu I have tried and gotten some looks at it from friends and some kindly fellows I have met on other sites and whatnot. They seem to really approve, even those that haven't even picked up a warrior's book before. But for now, it's still a small little story that a small little author has high hopes for. owo_

_Hope you all have a delightful rest of the day, uvu_


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